According to the Wits Justice Project, a Johannesburg-based organisation that researches the country’s legal system, South Africans generally are far from equal before the eyes of the law.
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Steenkamp’s boyfriend Oscar Pistorius has admitted killing Steenkamp, who was 29 at the time, by firing four shots into the locked door of a toilet cubicle in what he said was the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it.
Pistorius is eligible to be transferred from custody to correctional supervision under South African law, although the prospect of his release drew criticism from campaigners.
If his conviction is upgraded from manslaughter to homicide, he can be sentenced to at the very least 15 years in jail, the minimal sentence for a homicide conviction in South Africa, which does not have the demise penalty.
Mhaga said in considering the petition‚ it became desirable that the minister peruses Pistorius’ profile as well as the decision of the CSPB.
And yesterday (Weds) the Justice Minister Michael Masutha dealt a further blow to the athlete by announcing he would stay behind bars for now.
A source on the Pistorius legal team said recently: “The appeal court can’t send him back to prison, they can only order a retrial”. It is not yet clear if Pistorius will resume his athletic career when he is released, but sources close to the athlete say he has indicated that he wants to continue training.
Q: Will the state’s appeal against the verdict change the equation?
“I’m confident that by Friday I would be in a position to determine whether legally I have the authority to do anything”, Mr Masutha is quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
Pistorius was born without the fibulas in both of his legs, and had surgery to amputate both below the knee while still a baby.
His trial had exposed his darker side: offering glimpses of a dangerously volatile man with a penchant for guns, attractive women and fast cars. South Africa doesn’t have the death penalty.
“We are still struggling with coming to terms with losing our precious daughter Reeva and her loss is felt even more this week as we would have celebrated her 32nd birthday on 19 August”, they said in a statement. But they typically include some form of house arrest, electronic monitoring, community service, required employment – and no alcohol, drugs or firearms.
A typical offender under house arrest has his movements restricted and is not allowed to use alcohol, but conditions vary widely.
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“He’staken something so precious out of our lives”.
